Haliaeetus

Haliaeetus 

a genus of predatory birds (eagles) of the order Falconiformes. The body length is 75–100 cm; the wingspread reaches 2–2.5 m. In contrast to the tarsus of the Aquila eagle, the tarsus of the Haliaeetus eagle is not feathered.

The genus comprises seven species. The Haliaeetus are found everywhere except in South America. In the USSR there are three species, the white-tailed eagle (H. albicilla), which is widely distributed; Pallas’s sea eagle (H. leucoryphus), which migrates to and possibly nests in the steppes from the Caspian Sea to Transbaikalia; and Steller’s sea eagle (H. pelagicus), which is found on the Pacific coast. In the 19th century bald eagles (H. leucocephalus) nested on the Komandorskie Islands.

The Haliaeetus live along the shores of seas, lakes, and rivers. They nest in trees or sometimes on cliffs. There are one to three ivory white eggs per clutch. The incubation period is from 35 to 45 days. Nestlings are capable of flying about 70 days after hatching. The Haliaeetus feed on fish seized from the water, small mammals, birds, and carrion. They may cause damage to the wintering sites of waterfowl and to fish hatcheries, but the damage is insignificant since the number of Haliaeetus is small and continues to decline rapidly.